The 2021 365 Day Challenge - Rules, Sign Up and Discussion

Ongoing language-learning challenges, and team challenge logs (but not individual logs)
jeffers
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Re: The 2021 365 Day Challenge - Rules, Sign Up and Discussion

Postby jeffers » Mon Jul 05, 2021 11:43 am

Can I join for the second half of the year, French only? I have been doing at least 30 minutes per day since the 1st of July and I am committed to keeping that up for the rest of the year.

The idea would be to start with 0 points on 1 July, so I'm not going to compete with anyone on points, but simply using the group encouragement to keep going!
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Re: The 2021 365 Day Challenge - Rules, Sign Up and Discussion

Postby PeterMollenburg » Tue Jul 06, 2021 2:54 am

jeffers wrote:Can I join for the second half of the year, French only? I have been doing at least 30 minutes per day since the 1st of July and I am committed to keeping that up for the rest of the year.

The idea would be to start with 0 points on 1 July, so I'm not going to compete with anyone on points, but simply using the group encouragement to keep going!


Of course, not a problem, jeffers. Good luck!
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Elsa Maria
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Re: The 2021 365 Day Challenge - Rules, Sign Up and Discussion

Postby Elsa Maria » Wed Jul 21, 2021 5:15 pm

I just posted for June, and I am sorry for my tardy post.
My stats through the end of June are not great - only 142 days total - and July's stats will will be even worse. Oh well - onward and upward!
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Re: The 2021 365 Day Challenge - Rules, Sign Up and Discussion

Postby Just_a_visitor » Sun Aug 15, 2021 9:49 pm

Can I join you too (Generic)?
Not to compete with anyone, obviously;
I just feel I may need an extra push in September and later in November.
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PeterMollenburg
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Re: The 2021 365 Day Challenge - Rules, Sign Up and Discussion

Postby PeterMollenburg » Tue Aug 17, 2021 5:31 am

Just_a_visitor wrote:Can I join you too (Generic)?
Not to compete with anyone, obviously;
I just feel I may need an extra push in September and later in November.


No worries. What is your start date then please?
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Re: The 2021 365 Day Challenge - Rules, Sign Up and Discussion

Postby Just_a_visitor » Sun Aug 22, 2021 2:02 pm

Thanks. I'm in since Aug 15.
Actually, it's been longer, but it doesn't matter at all. For me, the challenge will be to keep going in the upcoming fortnight, when I'm going to be really busy, and later on in November - then, the problem might be some sort of seasonal depression.
Thank you again :)
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Elsa Maria
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Re: The 2021 365 Day Challenge - Rules, Sign Up and Discussion

Postby Elsa Maria » Sun Oct 03, 2021 8:31 pm

Alas, it is time for me to withdraw from the challenge. I was limping along over the summer and trying to stick it through, but I was in poor health for nearly all of September and I have no idea how much Danish I did or didn't do last month.
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Re: The 2021 365 Day Challenge - Rules, Sign Up and Discussion

Postby PeterMollenburg » Tue Dec 28, 2021 5:28 am

Well, the end of the challenge is nigh...

...A few days to go and very few challengers left. Well done to everyone who had a go and outstanding work to those ferw who are still in the game, since as we know it's consistent effort that pays off in language learning!

I won't be overseeing the challenge in 2022, but anyone is welcome to pick up where I am leaving off. The rules are there for the taking and adjustment as deemed necessary. Mind you, if no-one stands up for the task, the challenge could pretty much run itself with self reporting and following the same rules (or adjusted if so desired). For those who are still putting in daily effort as 2021 draws to a close, keep up the awesome track record, you're nearly there!

Well done in 2021, I hope everyone has a successful 2022!
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Re: The 2021 365 Day Challenge - Rules, Sign Up and Discussion

Postby cjareck » Tue Dec 28, 2021 7:14 am

PeterMollenburg wrote:I won't be overseeing the challenge in 2022, but anyone is welcome to pick up where I am leaving off.

Thank you for your work and support! Unfortunately, I have neither the time nor the language qualifications to run the challenge in 2022, but hopefully, someone will pick it up. If not, I am going to study consistently on my own.
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Re: The 2021 365 Day Challenge - Rules, Sign Up and Discussion

Postby PeterMollenburg » Mon Jan 10, 2022 5:13 am

Note: This post is duplicated in The 2021 365 Day Challenge - SCORING thread.

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Final Summary for The 2021 365 Day Challenge

In 2019, the first year of this 365 (or 366) Day Challenge we had 12 language learners finish with 365 points, having studied without fail every single day of the year.

For 2021 there were three language learners who achieved the same feat. What can I say people? This means language learning is doomed, the downfall of society is well under way and well, the effort of most is just not good enough!!!

I finished in 2019 with 365 points. This time around I finished with 185 points! Oh, ummm... about those earlier comments and the effort not being good enough and the downfall of society... those were ummm just jokes. Someone else told me to tell them, I didn't like them, and as we can't edit our posts it's too late. Well done PeterMollenburg, you did the best of all competitors.... NOT!!! Plenty of participants with higher and lower scores did very well at remaining consistent with their language learning. That's what this challenge is about, improving consistent effort day in day out, as that results in considerable improvement.

Sometimes I think if you miss a day or two of study you actually miss more than the equivalent of the one or two days of study because you lose momentum and the longer your break the more you need to revise and cover old ground so you can't move onto newer material so quickly, or you can but it takes a bit for things to come back to you (depending on the length of break).

Then there are potential benefits to breaks also, to 'repaving' those information highways (and backroads for the rarer words/phrases etc)... so go ahead take your breaks people and watch me soar ahead as I study every single day without fail... well, ahem, cough cough... 185 days perhaps.

However, I still think there's more to gain from studying every single day than, well less than every single day. For language learning consistent effort is really valuable. In 2022 I intend to rejoin the top scores, I hope I will find myself in good company. Now given this is not all about me, here are the 2021 placings, i.e. the final leaderboard (le palmarès, if you will)



December Leaderboard - The Final Leaderboard for 2021

OVERALL STANDINGS


NO MISSED DAYS:

FIRST PLACE
365 days (no missed days)

Cenwalh: Generic
improbablediscussion: French
Radioclare: Generic

-----------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------

SECOND PLACE
364 days
cjareck: Hebrew

THIRD PLACE
362 days
Mista: Generic

-----------------------------------------------

356 days
blackcoffee: Spanish

334 days
Clara: Spanish

276 days
verdastelo: Russian

202 days
Anteetna: Albanian (withdrew July 31st, 2021)

185 days
PeterMollenburg: French (start date: 1st June 2021)

173 days
Nogon: Generic (score last reported at the end of June)

164 days
Elsa Maria: Danish (withdrew after September, 2021)

151 days
LunaMoonsilver: Generic (score last reported at the end of May)

115 days
vegantraveller: 1. Japanese, 2. Generic (European languages) (score last reported at the end of April)

96 days
Raconteur: Italian (start date: 15th Jan 2021) (withdrew April 30th, 2021)

91 days
CarlyD: German (score last reported at the end of April)

90 days
rdearman: Korean (withdrew March 31st, 2021)

62 days
Jeffers: French (start date: 1st July 2021) (score last reported at the end of August)

52 days
Bunnychu: Korean (start date: 25th Jan 2021) (withdrew March 31st, 2021)

50 days
Bunnychu: Swedish (start date: 25th Jan 2021) (withdrew March 31st, 2021)

42 days
PeterMollenburg: Norwegian (withdrew February 14th, 2021)

39 days
pinkyslippers: Korean (withdrew February 10th, 2021)

37 days
księżycowy: Japanese (withdrew February 15th, 2021)

34 days
Arizakai: French, Italian, Japanese (withdrew February 3rd, 2021)

30 days
daveprine: Generic (start date: 4th January 2021) (withdrew June 4th, 2021)
Kaha: Chinese (score last reported at the end of January)

16 days
Just_a_visitor: Generic (start date: 15th August 2021) (score last reported at the end of August)


------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Please notify me if you see any errors or have not provided your score at this stage and still wish to do so. Well done to everyone.

There's been some outstanding results here. I don't need to point them out as the Leaderboard speaks for itself. Ah what the heck... Cenwalh, improbablediscussion and
Radioclare well done for not failing to miss a single day in 2021! cjareck you were so very close!!! And Mista you were hot on their heels too.

I'd like to point out the positive in those who finished with high scores but not quite perfect or not quite near the top and even those who were rather consistent or more consistent than usual. Don't feel bad about not scoring 365, feel good about the effort you've managed. In fact even if you scored less than a previous challenge if you did one, pat yourself on the back for studying on a semi-regular or even regular basis, it's better than zero days. So, for those who weren't in the placings, let's remind ourselves that this is about learning to be consistent in language learning.

Many of us love to discuss (including me) how long it will take to learn a particular language, how many languages one can learn at once, how many hours, days, books, pages, courses etc. Well, when it comes to the crunch the more consistent and efficient (not wasting your time on too many beginner courses PM!) you can be the quicker you will have answered your own language learning questions! Don't waste time on getting more resources (unless you need them, or have finished your daily study), don't ask one 'how long to learn language XYZ question' 67 ways. Just get on with it! Do your daily learning and then goof around if you have time, because nothing is more important for language learning success than learning every single day, and if that's not possible then as close to that as possible.
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